Arkansas Court OKs Gay Foster Parents

Two years ago, Judge Timothy Fox ruled in Arkansas that the Child Welfare Agency Review Board had no authority to ban gay couples from participating in the Foster Care program. That ruling was upheld yesterday in Arkansas' Supreme Court. It was stated in the decision that the Agency could only set regulations based on the "health, safety or welfare" of children, but had no right to "exclude a set of individuals from becoming foster parents based upon morality and bias." Both courts also indicated that there was "no evidence of any deficiency in gay parents or households".
These courts have evidently not read any statistics on the subject. It seems that Judges are entitled to base their decision "upon morality and bias."

Muslim Thinking

Someone recently told me I was off base about the dangers of Islam – that most Muslims are peaceful. She has bought into the lie. She still believes the word “Islam” means “peaceful” instead of what it really means – “submission”.
Muslims may appear peaceful, especially in situations where they are the minority. But how they “appear” and what they really think are two different things.
A recent survey of Muslim countries throughout the world contradicts her “most Muslims are peaceful” statement.Daniel Pipes reports today that this survey included interviewing Muslims in two different groups of countries – 6 countries with predominantly Muslim populations (Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey) and 4 countries where Muslims are the minority, but growing in numbers (Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain).

Of the 10 countries surveyed, support for Osama bin Laden ranged from 8% to 72%.

Suicide bombers got a 13% to 69% positive rating.

Add to that the fact that 14% to 43% of Muslims surveyed believe the USA and Western Civilization is responsible for their economic woes, 28% to 98% see Jews in a negative light – blaming them on bad relations between the West and Muslims, and less than half of Muslims believe that Arabs were responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

In spite of these numbers, the overall report seemed optimistic that these numbers were improved over previous similar surveys. They don’t seem that encouraging to me. And lest I fall into the “gee, things seem to be improving” mindset, I need look no further than the Middle East, Nigeria, France, the Philippines, Iran or any other number of Islamic countries that were NOT included in the survey to snap back into reality.

Quiz:
Who said : "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid".

Choices: Jesus or Mohammed

Who said: "They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them"

Choices: Jesus or Mohammed

For further reading on the "Religion of Peace", click here.

Belief in Continuing Revelation Leads to Heresy, Apostasy, and Sin

The Bible is God’s Word. It is whole, complete, and without error. God didn’t leave out anything important. Everything we need to know about why we were created, how we can be saved, and what God expects of us, is in it (II Timothy 3:16-17

In the days before Jesus came to earth, and during the early years of the church, God poured out special gifts through the Holy Spirit onto his prophets and disciples, giving them the ability to foresee the future, supernaturally heal, speak in other languages they’d never learned, and exhibit other incredible supernatural powers for the express intent of proving that the messages they were bringing were true and of God (I Corinthians 14:22). But once the Bible was complete, I believe the Scripture is clear, the sign gifts ceased because that which is perfect had come (I Corinthians 13:8,10).

The problem with so many denominations today is that they have strayed off course and bought into the idea that God is giving continuing revelation today, and that He is still pouring out his supernatural gifts on individuals. In fact, in some churches, the Bible is considered “old news” and “new, fresh revelation” is what is sought. Since the Bible itself says that is it all we need (II Timothy 3:15-17), this “new revelation” movement opens up a Pandora’s box of problems.

A common thread among cults is the belief in continuing revelation.

If God is still speaking to individuals and giving them supernatural revelations, then how is one to know who is really receiving those messages and who is a charlatan?

Take, for example, “Pastor” Jesse French, of the Solid Life Ministries-Church of Disciples in Rockledge FL, who somehow convinced a naïve (and evidently Bible illiterate) church member that God told him she needed to be anointed with oil in the nude to cure what ailed her. Not only that, but God told him the specific details about how they should set up their appointments for these “healing” encounters – three “one-hour sessions” or one “three-hour session”, so that her “yoke” could be removed. Police say she was quoted Scripture which convinced her that she should submit to “God’s will”.

I’m not sure what Scripture French could have quoted her to convince her that God would change His Law and make an exception on fornication, but it is so sad to know that this woman knew so little of her Bible that this monster could convince her to do what she knew in her heart was wrong.

How can anybody be so deceived, you ask?

In too many churches today, the emphasis is on “feeling good”, getting an emotional “high” and getting “pumped up”. My son recently visited a church (to repay a visit to ours) where the music was the center of the service, there was dancing and shouting in the ailes, and the “pastor” told the congregation that God had told him “not” to preach a message that day.

People don’t read their Bibles, and they’re not getting fed from the pulpit, so they blindly (like sheep) follow their leaders into the apostate zone, going away from their services talking about how “awesome” they were, but not knowing the Lord anymore when they come out than they did when they went in – and certainly not being able to apply God’s Word in their lives in order to become more like Him.

We’re to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). And we’re to live by every word that He’s given us (Matthew 4:4). If we are in the Word every day, and submitted to God’s authority and will for our lives, then the Jesse Frenches of the world will be obvious to us (II Timothy 2:15).

Scripture References:

John 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

I Corinthians 13:8 “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

I Corinthians 13:10: “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”

I Corinthians 14:22: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not…”

II Timothy 3:15- 17 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

II Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Interesting Discovery

I was mulling over the fact that our local rag...er...newspaper had nothing in its online publication this morning about the 4 bomb threats that were made here in my town which caused the evacuation of 2 Wal Marts, a major phone service supplier and a major auto parts manufacturer. In my contemplation about the inconsistency of our local media, the thought hit me.... if I rearrange the letters in the word "media", I can get this: The media is not worth "adime".

No Place for Racism in Christianity

Can you be a Christian and a racist too?

The concept of race was embraced in the theory of Evolution. Hitler was fascinated with the theory of evolution and was inspired by it in his attempt to “speed up” the “survival of the species” and hasten it to its natural conclusion by seeking to exterminate the “inferior” Jews, the infirm, the handicapped, etc.
Today most scientists will admit that biologically, there is really only one race – the human race. In fact, there is actually so little difference that if a white person needs a tissue match for an organ transplant, he or she is just as likely to find a match from a black person as a white one.

There are no “races” mentioned in Scripture. We are all descended from Adam and Eve. There are no “races”, only “people groups”.

The Bible is clear. Acts 17:26 says that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.”

Acts 10:28 says we “should not call any man common or unclean.”

Acts 10:34: “…God is no respecter of persons:”

"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now." (1 John 2:9)

"But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."
(1 John 2:11)

"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:15)

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20)

The only unequally yoked marriage described in Scripture is between a believer and a non-believer. God never forbid marrying into a different people group.

Note: Contrary to what people are taught in this country in the public school system, true Christians were the ones instrumental in bringing about the abolition of slavery. The book of Philemon was used often from the pulpit to preach against slavery. It was Christians like William Wilberforce and John Wesley and the Anabaptists that lead the fight to end slavery.

The problem is in distinguishing between someone who speaks “Christianeze” and someone who is truly a born-again believer in Christ. There are churches all across America with members who will tell you they are Christians, their parents were Christians, and their children are Christians. But they only talk the talk. They’re lost. They have no idea whether they are going to heaven or hell – they’re hoping their good works will earn them heaven. That’s not Christianity. That’s Christianeze.

Good book on the Subject: One Blood - The Biblical Answer to Racism by Ken Ham, Carl Wieland, and Don Batten.

Youth Pastor Arrested

Matthew Snatchko was manhandled and shoved against a storefront window, handcuffed tightly enough to draw blood, arrested, and taken to the local police station where he was booked on battery and trespassing charges.
His crime? Sharing his faith with willing listeners at the local mall.

Evidently, someone that he offered to talk to about his faith was “offended”, so a Mall Security Guard interrupted a conversation Snatchko was having with another individual and told him to quit talking to people and leave. When Snatchko laughed and claimed he wasn’t doing anything wrong or illegal, a second security guard joined them and told Snatchko that he was being put under citizen’s arrest for “trespassing”. The youth pastor then offered to leave peacefully, but was roughed up, cuffed and carted off to jail.

The DA’s office later evidently realized the arrest was unconstitutional and dropped the case.

I try to stay as far away from the Malls as I can. Gangs of young men (and women) cruise the malls looking for trouble. Their language is abusive. They’re rude. They’ll run over you rather than move out of your way, regardless of who has the right of way. I can’t remember the last time I read about the local police arresting some punk kid for shouting obscenities to someone who happened to look at them too long or dared to accidentally brush up against them.

A couple of questions beg to be asked.

How can one “trespass” at a public mall?
Why is obscenity acceptable in public, but the name of Jesus Christ is not?
Does laughing at a ridiculous accusation warrant rough handling and handcuffing?
Where is the ACLU?

Without Sin, There is No Need for a Saviour

The enemy is sly. Contrary to the picture of the little red guy with the pitchfork, or the horrible creatures you see in horror movies, he’s basically a behind-the-scenes kind of guy, chipping away at foundations, promulgating good-sounding half-truths( a half-truth always = a lie), and throwing stumbling blocks in the way of finding God’s plan for our lives.

The Gospel is a simple message – we are all sinners in need of a Saviour, and Jesus Christ is that Saviour.

Satan has worked for centuries on persuading us otherwise and the last 100 years he has made tremendous progress. If he can convince the lost that there is no such thing as sin – or at least, that what THEY are doing is not sin, then what need will they see in having a Saviour?

Universities teach that there are no moral absolutes. If there are no absolutes, then there is no sin.

Hollywood has convinced us that it’s ok to curse, drink, use drugs, gamble, cheat on our spouses, divorce and remarry at will, and have sex wherever and whenever we choose.

More and more people “pick and choose” which laws they’ll abide by – depending on what “they” think is a good or bad law. For instance, illegal aliens don’t think they are criminals. In New Orleans, policemen were stealing goods from WalMart in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina (and shoes, televisions and handbags don’t qualify as emergency essentials!). Militant homosexuals have infiltrated every segment of society and are pushing for validation, acceptance, and glorification of unnatural sexual relationships. There are even Americans in this country that will tell you that 911 was our fault, not the terrorists, and that we deserved it.

Most sadly of all, sin is being rationalized or even embraced in pulpits all across America.

Adultery, abortion, drug use, promiscuity, homosexuality, theft – all are rationalized and the “sin” is taken out, just like a good diet soft drink- it tastes the same, but no guilt.

Without sin, there is no need for a Saviour.

This is why Christians should continue to speak out and call sin what it is. Not because we’re better than the world, but because we are sinners that were headed for the same eternity toward which the lost world is headed but were saved by the grace of God . It would be much easier to withdraw into our churches and our homes and give up, and let the lost continue to die and go to hell, but we’re commanded by God to do otherwise. As elashley quoted in a comment recently, God said clearly: “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:18). As sinners who have been saved by grace and through no good work of our own, we must remember“…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” (Luke 12:48)

Be faithful, Christian.Continue to be a witness. Do what you are commanded to do and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Gay Foster Parents Arrested and Convicted

Ian Wathey and Craig Faunch are a homosexual “couple” from Yorkshire, United Kingdom, that were allowed to be foster parents. They’d never been “in trouble with the law” and had passed checks and training – so they’d be a “perfect couple” to take in troubled children for foster care, right? Wrong. Turns out they were using these children, ages 7-14 for their own sexual pleasure – filming them nude, making them watch homosexual porn and sexually molesting them. They’ve been arrested, tried and sentenced. And all the Wakefield Council’s social service spokeswoman could say is that they are “reviewing their procedures to identify what lessons should be learned.”

ONE MORE REASON TO DENY HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE and LEGAL RECOGNITION AS BEING NORMAL

Now before anybody starts protesting and saying that there are more heterosexual pedophiles than homosexual pedophiles, look at the facts.

Homosexual Alfred Kinsey of the Kinsey Report, in 1948 did a study that showed that 37 % of male homosexuals admitted to having sex with children under 17 years old.

2-4% of men attracted to adults prefer men. 25-40% of men attracted to children prefer boys.
Of men attracted to adults of the opposite sex, 2% are pedophiles, In homosexuals that figure jumps to 30-40 %
The percentage of sex offenders against male children by homosexuals is much larger than the percentage of sex offenders against female children among heterosexuals. Thus, the development of pedophilia is more closely linked with homosexuality than with heterosexuality. (The year 2000 Archives of Sexual Behavior )

86% of pedophiles in prison described themselves as homosexual or bisexual (1988 Archives of Sexual Behavior)

23% of all homosexuals have acted as “chicken hawks” – preying on adolescent or younger boys. (1979 Gay Report – written by gays)

Homosexual males are 3 times more likely to engage in pedophilia than straight men – The average pedophile victimizes 20-150 boys before being arrested. (1992 Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy)

The Propoganda of "1 in 10" is a myth. By inflating their numbers, they hope to be seen as more “natural” and “normal. All studies and reports show otherwise. See a previous article here.
Christians need to continue to be vocal and speak out against acceptance of this deviant lifestyle. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and He loves homosexuals as much as He loves the rest of us sinners. But Jesus said, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” (Luke 17:2). And though God loves them, unless they turn from their wickedness, repent and asked Jesus to save them, their punishment will be greater than they can imagine.

Saddam's Hunger Strike over

I wrote a few days ago on Saddam's so-called hunger strike. What a joke. If he wasn't such a monster I'd almost feel sorry for him - he's isn't coping so well in his new roll as "prisoner".

When the hunger strike was announced, Saddam and co-defendents pledged " not to end the strike until international protection is provided to the defense team."
As far as I know from skimming news reports, no "international body-guard team" has been assembled for that purpose.

Why the media even bothers reporting his antics outside of the courtroom is beyond my understanding - unless it's simply to show the absurdity of his behavior. You can add "pathetic" to the long list of adjectives to describe this man.

Be an Overcomer

There is so much going on in the world today that is wrong/out of control/evil/unfair, that one could easily throw their hands up and give up. Yes, we're to stand against wrong and stand boldly for our faith, but "overcome"? That's a bit overwhelming to even think about.
The Bible has some very specific things to say about overcoming the world.
Jesus was the first to overcome.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

God has made some very specific promises to those of us who are overcomers.

"… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Rev. 2:7)

"... He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." (Rev. 2:11)

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." (Rev. 3:5)

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Rev. 3:21)

And my personal favorite...!

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Rev. 21:7)

So what do we have to DO to overcome? How many good works must we perform? How will we ever know in this life if we have done enough to be an overcomer in God’s eyes? Do we have to be “Super Christian”?

God is not only specific in His promises.
He is also specific in His requirements to be called an overcomer:

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5)

This is a spiritual battle, not a worldly one (*Ephesians 6:12)

Do your best to fight the good fight. Stand boldly for your faith. Try to live a godly life. But know that you will fall, you will fail, and the world will sometimes beat you down. But whatever you do, don't try to do it in your own strength. Admit you'll never be perfect. Don't try to earn a place in heaven. Be set free. Be an overcomer!

*Ephesians 6:12: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Lesbian Lover Listed on Birth Certificate as "Parent"

In Ontario recently, a Judge ruled that the names of two lesbians both be listed on the birth certificate of one of their children, since that child was conceived through artificial insemination and they are a “couple”.
In his ruling, the judge stated, “Lesbian mothers live in an atmosphere of homophobia that only is exacerbated when rules and conventions leave an impression that "there is something wrong or unnatural about their families.” The plaintiffs’ lawyer went on to say, “Likewise, for children of lesbian mothers -- who are even more vulnerable than their parents to the lack of symbols of their families in popular culture -- exclusion of their parents from birth registration furthers this vulnerability."
The reason there are a lack of symbols of their “families” in popular culture is because theirs is not a true “family”.
You say we don’t need a Federal Marriage Amendment? Think again. Just as in Canada, the homosexual activists in this country will not stop until they get full recognition as “normal” and “natural”.
Regardless of what these individuals say, or what some court rules, only one of these women is a “parent”. And as much as the other woman would like to be considered a "parent", the truth is she is an illicit live-in lover.

Illegal = Criminal

illegal: not according to or authorized by law : unlawful, illicit

crime: an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law

criminal: one who has committed a crime

In Hazleton Pennsylvania, the mayor has had enough of illegal aliens. A 14 year old illegal was arrested for firing a gun at a playground. Two illegals were charged with shooting and killing a 29 year old man.
Local residents are afraid in their own town. So Mayor Lou Barletta has introduced a measure that will revoke business licenses of employers of illegals, fine landlords who rent to illegals, and make English the official town language.

In 2000, the town had a 5% Hispanic population. Now, 6 years later, Hispanics make up 30 percent of the population. What percentage is illegal is not known, but the crime rate, especially in the drugs and gang related crimes has gone up. Hazleton is attractive because of its lower cost of living and inexpensive housing, plus the job opportunities in the plants, farms and factories in the area.

Already, immigrant reform advocates are crying discrimination. Flavia Jimenez, a National Council of La Raza policy analyst, is warning of a civil rights lawsuit.

Some of the remarks in the article are almost comical. One legal immigrant, who admits that his father came here illegally in the 1980s and received amnesty in 1986, accuses the mayor of abusing human rights. “He’s confusing illegal people with criminals.”

Hello? Let me repeat that.

He said, “He’s confusing illegal people with criminals.”

Am I against Immigrants? No. I'm against Illegal Aliens.
We are becoming a nation that looks at the law like a smorgasboard. Pick and choose what laws you want to obey. Leave the rest for someone else. Being a “criminal” is all about perception, not reality. With attitudes like this, we're headed toward anarchy.

Saddam on Hunger Strike after Lawyer Dies

If we’ll just postpone the trial for a few months, we won’t have to have a trial! If Saddam will starve himself to death it will be a more humane way to die than thousands upon thousands of his victims have died.

Of course, he won't actually starve himself to death. He's craving attention again. His narcissism is disgusting and sad. Wonder how long he'd be on his "hunger strike" if the news media didn't cover it?

Military Dedicates Islamic Prayer Center in Quantico

I know you probably did a double-take on this title, but it’s true.
At the Marine base in Quantico Virginia, American military Muslims now will have a place to pray “until a permanent more proper mosque is built in 2009”.
This is political correctness to the point of stupidity.
This article states that there are only 24 Muslims presently serving at the Quantico base. And yet under pressure from Navy Lieutenant and Muslim Chaplain Abuhena Mohammed Saifulislam (who was the individual who lobbied and succeeded in getting prayer beads and rugs and other “privileges” for the terrorist prisoners in Guantanamo), the military has succumbed to this political correctness and allowed the promotion of this religion (a religion of submission and conversion by the sword) in our military.
Many militant Muslims have stated publicly that they won’t rest until the United States is a Muslim nation. We’re at war – and not with individuals or even countries. We’re at war with an ideology.
With the precedent being set at Quantico, watch mosques starting popping up everywhere all across our nation at other military facilities. Sounds like aiding and abetting the enemy to me.

Louisiana Abortion Ban - and Planned Parenthood Whines

Governor Kathleen Blanco of the Bayou State recently signed into law a state ban on all abortions except where the life of the mother is in danger (SB 33, the Human Life Protection Act).
This law will not actually take effect until either the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade or until a Constitutional Amendment is passed that allows states to do so. Sadly, there’s probably not much danger in either one of these things happening any time in the near future, but in spite of that fact, Planned Parenthood (see It’s Not About Choice, It’s About Money) had to whine anyway.

Here is their statement:

They said the new law “endangers women’s health by criminalizing abortion at a time when the state is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and scrambling to prepare for the start of the new hurricane season.”

I wonder how long it took them to come up with that one. Since when does the weather have anything to do with abortion??????

Someone enlighten me here.

Hate Crimes - Selective Enforcement

First of all, Hate Crimes Legislation is just plain stupid. To say that someone should get a more severe punishment for a crime because of what they think is like saying that someone who rapes a woman should get a more severe punishment because of what he reads, or someone who robs a bank should get a more severe punishment because of his personal spending habits. There is no logic in Hate Crimes Legislation.

I’ve only hated one person in my life. And if I were to tell you all the reasons why I hated this person, you might would agree with me that I had good reason. However, after I became a Christian, God so convicted me of this hate that I finally went to this person and asked them to forgive me for my hate. It was a very freeing experience, and I slept better that night than I had in years. It totally threw this other person off and they didn’t sleep a wink that night – plus they ended up apologizing to me for the things they’d done to make me hate them! God is so good.

I’ve never known or read or heard of anyone ever committing a vicious crime against someone because they loved them, or even liked them. The fact of brutality and violence is that they are born out of anger and hate.

“Hate Crimes” are simply another tactic by the homosexual militants to legitimize their lifestyle and try to force tolerance (read “total acceptance”) for their unnatural acts. Yes, sometimes racially motivated crimes are considered hate crimes as well…but again, all violence and brutality is hateful regardless of the reason behind it.

The biggest problem with so called “Hate Crime” laws is that they are not equally enforced.

What I’m betting that you won’t see is Hate Crime law being used in the attack on 1st grader Jacob Parker. He’s the son of David Parker, who last year caused a media fury when he protested the homosexual indoctrination of his kid in the local school system and demanded that he have a right to know what his child was being taught and to opt his son out of teachings that went against his religious beliefs. When he was asked to leave the school and refused, he was arrested.

Little Jacob was attacked and beat up by a gang of 8-10 mostly older kids. Dad suspects it has to do with his stand, and his federal civil rights lawsuit against the school, because many parents and administrators have been angry about his lawsuit. David is quoted as saying that if an attack of this nature had been against a child of a homosexual couple, “lessons teaching tolerance and diversity or homosexual behavior normalization would be forced upon the young children”. He’s right - and the media would be all over the story for weeks.

NAFTA Super Highway - Blurring our Borders

NAFTA Super Highway - Blurring not only our borders, but our sovereignty.

The American public – at least those of us who still believe in the phrase “God bless American” should be taking note of the plans going on that are not widely publicized, but are not exactly hidden from us either… The NAFTA Super Highway is just one of those issues.

Complete article:NAFTA SUPERHIGHWAY

Here are the highlights:

*This highway will be the width of 4 football fields(10 lanes)and will run along the route of I-35 from the Mexican border at Laredo Texas to the Canadian border north of Duluth Minnesota. The reason given for this project is "to improve both the trade competitivemess and quality of life in North America."

*Mexican trucks will be allowed to cross the border in "fast lanes", checked only by electronic method, and will not have to stop until they get to Kansas City. This "Kansas City SmartPort" is where containers will be transferred to trucks headed out into the US.

*Both the Longshoreman's and the Teamster's Unions will be bypassed. And although I've never been a big Union fan, this is just one more thing to bring down the standard of living in this country and take jobs away from Americans.

The one-world government described in the book of revelation will not happen overnight. It is, however, being slowly but surely planned, shaped, molded, and implemented piece by piece, project by project.
Just as the EU is blurring the borders and sovereignty of European nations, we see the same thing happening on the continent of North America.

This could be one of the reasons that the Bush administration and Congress seem to have such a defeatist attitude about our illegal alien problem.

Further reading:

Coming Soon to US: Mexican Customs Office

North American Union Already Starting to Replace US

Episcopal Apostasy

In their General Convention this month the Episcopal Church further separated itself from the faith "once delivered"(Jude 1:3). For one thing, they passed a resolution condemning not only many liturgical texts, but the Bible Itself as "anti-Jewish",referring specifically to the Gospel account of the crucifixion, saying that it has stirred "anti-Jewish prejudice". In addition, this apostate church has also again decided to directly disobey God, this time by prioritizing their missions according to their "own eyes"(Proverbs 3:7, Deuteronomy 12:8).
Instead of putting Evangelism (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19) at the top of their agenda, they have chosen "Justice and Peace" as their primary focus. Not only that, but they are basing their focus on the Millennium Development Goals of the godless United Nations, which include eradicating "extreme poverty and hunger", "universal primary education", promoting "gender equality" and "empowerment of women" and "reducing child mortality".
The Episcopal church, which recently saw its first ordination of an openly homesexual bishop, has female priestesses, and endorses abortion (kinda negates the "reducing child mortality" goal, doesn't it...) has not resembled a New Testament church for a very long time. At what point will they admit that they are no longer "Christian"? True Christians will sometimes stay in a church that has strayed in order to affect change. It's time for true Christians to come out of this church (II John 1:10-11).

Complete articles:
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4242
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4252

Scripture references:

Jude 1:3:

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

Proverbs 3:7:

"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil"

Deuteronomy 12:8:

"Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes."

Mark 16:15:

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Matthew 28:19:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

II John 1:10-11:

"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

"Straight Dad" Campaigns for Gay Rights

Gay.com has an article today full of accolades to a man by the name of Aaron Toleos, who says he is a straight father of 2 children who used to be an insensitive homophobic and has now come full circle and decided to help campaign for gay rights.
Says he “educated” himself ( I read that, “succumbed to subtle but constant indoctrination) and in this process of education, he noticed several kids at his kids’ preschool “had two mommies, and it made me think about what it would be like to go into a store and be faced with a petition that would destroy my own family. If I weren’t a father, I don’t think I would have been impacted by the issue.”

He now operates a website called “KnowThyNeighbor.org” and frequently publishes the names and addresses of people who have signed petitions against same sex marriage in hopes that “peer pressure” will turn them around.

Toleos is quoted as saying, “When your next-door-neighbor comes over and says, ‘did you know you signed a petition that will hurt me?’, it’s a shocking and uncomfortable moment and it brings the issue home. It’s transformative when you’re called to account for sponsoring legislation that would take rights away from real people.”

We're all too aware that, unfortunately, these ARE "real people" and this is really happening in our country.

If I were to get that knock on my door with the same message, I would have to interrupt and say, “excuse me, but did you know that your lifestyle is hurting not only me, but my children, society, the health care system, and the sanctity of marriage, and YOU?”

He calls it peer pressure. I call it further radical in-your-face “you will accept me and my lifestyle and like it” tactics.

What's Wrong with this Picture? - Louisiana Politics

According to the latest finanial disclosure reports, Rep. Willie Jefferson has some interesting friends.
He has been on numerous "paid for" trips - including one trip to Egypt, paid for by the Arab-American Chamber of Commerce, one to the United Arab Emirates and one to Qatar - both paid for by the Islamic Free Market Institute and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce.
Willie Jefferson is under federal investigation for bribery.

Now I forget... just why was William Jefferson elected....?

Louisiana politics...Huey Long,Edwin Edwards, David Duke,William Jefferson.

And here in the south, they call Louisiana Politics "colorful".

It's Not About Choice - It's About Money

It’s not about choice. It’s about money.

Murder is a lucrative business.

Just in case you haven’t seen the latest reports on Planned Parenthood’s profits for last year, take a moment to absorb these figures.

Last year it grossed $882,000,000 (882 million), with a net profit of $63,000,000 (63 million).

It’s not about choice. It’s about money.

This is the 19th year in a row that the abortionists have increased their gross revenue and made a profit. The total over the 19 years has been $10,000,000,000 (read 10 billion) gross revenue and over $649,000,000(649 million) in net profit.

It’s not about choice. It’s about money.

And in case you were unaware, our tax dollars have supplied almost 40% ($3.9 billion) of the $10 billion in profit over the last 19 years.
Planned Parenthood is considered a “charitable organization”.
And Planned Parenthood doesn’t pay a dime in taxes on its profits.

It’s not about choice. It’s about money.

PP is a shrewd marketer of its services. Their endeavors include pushing sex education in the schools, pushing experimentation of sexuality to teens (teenwire.com), selling pills and condoms, and then providing treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.And oh yeah...if you get pregnant anyway, they help solve that problem too.

PP supplies close to 20% of the abortions in this country – that’s 250,000 babies a year, and over 3.8 million babies over its lucrative 19 years.

It’s name, Planned Parenthood, is an oxymoron. For every one adoption referral, it slaughters 180 babies.

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

“It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Luke 17:2

(Figures from "Planned Parenthood Profits at Taxpayers' Expense" by Jim Sedlak at Human Events)

Thoughts on the Coming Anti-Christ

Scripture gives us some very specific detail about the Anti-Christ who will rule during the Tribulation, but there are some details about which theologians have differing opinions. I also have some thoughts of my own based on Scripture not always referred to when this subject is discussed.

First of all, we know that the Anti-Christ will implement a 7-year peace treaty with Israel and her enemies which will temporarily halt war in the Middle East and appear to have solved this decades-long war and end the bloodshed. We know from Scripture that this peace will not last.

Some think the Anti-Christ will be a Gentile, since Revelation Chapter 13 says he will rise from the sea, and the sea generally represents Gentile nations in Scripture. Others think he will be Jewish because Daniel chapter 11 says he will reject the God of his fathers. I personally think he will be a Gentile, as rejecting the God of his fathers could mean our Christian God. Also, he apparently rises out of the Revised Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1-2), or what we call today the European Union. (It’s interesting to note that the European Union began in the 1940s as the European Common Market with the same 3 nations that began the original Roman Empire.)

He will be a mighty Military Ruler.
He will mostly likely be very intelligent, a statesman, and a charismatic personality. He’ll promote “love”, “peace”, “tolerance”, and “unity”.
The Anti-Christ will appear to be mortally wounded, and then appear to rise from the dead.
Mid way through the Tribulation, he will declare himself to be God.
The second half of the Tribulation, he will set out to destroy all Christians. I am a believer in a Pre-Trib rapture, but I also know that the Bible says many multitudes will be saved during the Tribulation. These Christians will almost all be martyred for their faith.

Now for some of my personal thoughts on the subject.

I think the Anti-Christ will be openly homosexual. Why?

How does God frequently describe the relationship between Him and His people? He uses the holiness of the marriage relationship. (Isaiah 61:10, John 3:29, Ephesians 5:23, Ephesians 5:25, the Book of Solomon, the book of Hosea, Isaiah 54:5, Jeremiah 3:20, Jeremiah 31:32 and many many others). And what is the biggest spit in God’s eye concerning marriage? Homosexual unions. They go against everything that Christianity stands for, and pervert the idea of a holy covenant between God and His people.
Daniel 11:37 says about the coming Anti-Christ:

"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all."

That is why I think we are seeing such an explosion of homosexual militancy – as Satan prepares the world to accept and even to embrace this lifestyle to the point that when the Anti-Christ steps in, he will be loved, admired and praised by the tolerant and accepting multitudes. He will be the ultimate insult to our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. But his reign will be temporary and then he will spend his eternity in the Lake of Fire, thrown in by a single angel through the power of our Holy and Just God.

Scripture References:

Isaiah 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
John 3:29 "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled."
Ephesians 5:23 "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."
Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"
Isaiah 54:5 "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called."
Jeremiah 3:20 "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD."
Jeremiah 31:32"Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:"
Also:
The Song of Solomon
Hosea
Revelation Chapter 13

Home Churches

A recent article in today's Agape Press news entitled "Home Churches Growing Increasingly Popular as Worship Alternative" raises some questions and concerns. According to the article, there is a growing movement in the country of people leaving the conventional church to meet instead in individuals’ homes.
The reasons given vary, but among them are

1. People want to “be” the church, not just attend church
2. They are seeking greater depth in relationships
3. They are seeking more commitment to spirituality
4. It was more “biblical”

The book of Acts tells us that for the most part, believers met together in homes. The reason for this is that Christianity at the time was just a small mostly Jewish religion. But what the modern day “Home Church” movement misses is that these early Christians didn’t confine themselves to their small groups – they went out and literally evangelized the world, expanding the church by bringing the Gospel to the “...uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Home Churches were a “starting place” not an end.

As for the reasons given for this movement, I wonder what churches these people left. My spiritual family consists of about 400 people, give or take. We have 6 pastors on staff, but we don’t sit around waiting to be “blessed” by them. Yes, they are accessible, they are awesome preachers and teachers, and our spiritual guides when we need them. But we have small groups that meet regularly with common interests outside of the church, we have Bible Studies, we have different evangelistic ministries, and each member of the church is expected to serve in some capacity. Church is not about going and sitting on a pew and daring somebody to bless me. Preachers are called by God to preach the Gospel, not take care of every intricate detail of the running of a church. This was brought up in the 6th Chapter of Acts:

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

The reasons given for the Home Churches almost seem self-serving – as in “seeking greater depth in relationships” and “seeking more commitment to spirituality”. Both of these are great goals, but they can be achieved while being an active member of the local body of Christ in the local church.

Here are some things I see as potential dangers in this “movement”
1. With no clear spiritual leader, there is the danger of the dominating personalities “running the show” so to speak, regardless of whether they are grounded in the Word or just giving their “opinions” and personal beliefs.
2. I would be curious to know how often lost friends and family members are invited to these home churches, and if they are, who preaches the message of the Gospel?
3. There is too much room for confusion by allowing members to trade “ideas” and “feelings”

There are many other issues, such as baptism,accountability, children, communion, church discipline, and many others, but I don’t feel led to go into those right now.

God clearly calls some to preach, and there are already too many men who just “decided” they wanted to be preachers instead of being truly “called” of God. And when small groups isolate themselves like this, what does this do to evangelizing? It’s hard enough to get people to go out on visitation from a large church body. What would happen to evangelizing if everyone ended up in a small group Church Home setting? More of the world would die and go to hell while the small groups sat inside together and felt good about their “spiritual growth”.

Our primary objective – our command from God Himself, is to be witnesses to a lost world (Mark 16:15) The Local Church is the instrument for this command to be carried out.

Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.


Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

The Intimidation Factor

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been able to intimidate people. Not everybody, but many. I’m admitting that I’ve always liked the idea. When you are intimidating, you generally get what you want, people leave you alone, and you have an “edge” in most situations. In the past, my husband called me his “hit man”. If someone wasn’t being fair, or was being unreasonable, and he wasn’t getting anywhere with them, he’d say “look, mister, if you don’t help me out here, I’m going to turn this over to my wife…and believe me – you don’t want to deal with my wife!”

There are probably many people today that knew me then that would say less than kind things about me, and deservedly so. I’ve probably wounded more than a few individuals with my words or actions.

I’ve been a Christian for over six years. One of the reasons I became a believer was because God put me in my place and intimidated me with my sin and the judgment that was ahead of me for that sin. He doesn’t deal with everyone in the same way, but He always knows just how to deal with us in our particular place in life. Intimidation, as I said in the beginning of this post, doesn’t work with everybody, but He certainly got my attention. And after 6 years I believe anyone that knew me then that knows me now would say that God has definitely mellowed me out and made some major changes in me, just as Scripture promises He’ll do. (II Corinthians 5:17)
Lately, in my little talks with God He has brought me to the realization that intimidation is not such a desirable trait in most situations, and that I should not be intimidating to those around me. He’s also showing me that intimidation and strength are not synonymous. Christ was accessible to all, and never intimidated anyone, yet He was strong, He was bold, He was assertive. In all these things, He was always approachable.

Am I not supposed to strive to be like Him? I know so.

I am faced with the dilemma that I am not now who I have been all these years and I recognize myself less and less as the years go by. It’s somewhat unnerving, but also encouraging, because it is just one more assurance that He is Who He says He is, and is very very real.

Having said all this, I reserve the right, under certain situations, to revert back to the old nature. If I’m being approached by an undesirable bent on harming me - then watch me transform.


Scripture reference:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

Westboro Baptist Church does NOT represent Christianity

The exchange of insults and accusations today between Fox News Reporter Julie Banderas and Shirley Phelps-Roper is extremely unfortunate, unnecessary, and very predictable. To allow some self-righteous, hateful, name-calling woman who claims to be a "preacher" and a "Christian" a venue such as Fox News to spout her venom is irresponsible and sensationalist and a disservice not only to Fox's viewers, but to all Christianity as well. I've mentioned Fred Phelps and his Westboro Church before and will say again - this man and his congregation (I'm betting there aren't 50 people in this church and they're probably mostly relatives)are not representative of true Christianity and should not be encouraged by being invited to speak! Whatever "Baptist" fellowship they belong to should disassociate themselves with this group and publicly condemn their actions. God does not hate anybody. God DOES hate sin - and guess what, Phelps - God hates your sin just as much as anybody elses! Contrary to your Calvinistic doctrine, God did NOT predestinate some people to go to hell and some people to go to heaven. God said that He is ...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.(2 Peter 3:9), and Jesus said, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).
Satan is so good at using half-truths to pervert God's Word. A half truth is always a lie. People like Phelps and his so-called "pastorette" can single handedly do more damage to the cause of Christ than an athiest ever thought about doing.
My heart goes out to the families of those who have been harrassed, attacked, and wounded by this hate-filled wolf in sheep's clothing. I pray God will convict this man and his group of the wrong they are doing and that they will fall on their knees and beg God's forgiveness for shaming the name of Jesus. And if they will, my great God will forgive their sins as well.

A One World Religion is not That Far Off

A one world religion is not that far off.

The Bible is very specific about some things that will take place in the last days of this earth. There will be a one-world government and a one-world religion. Christianity won’t be a part of this one-world religion. Initially, the Christians will all be gone. Those that truly get saved after that will not join the one-world religion. Those that practice “Christianese” will be a part of this one-world religion, which will probably be similar to the Bahai faith, which basically believes that all religions are “as one” and everyone’s “truth” is every bit as good as everyone else’s. And on a side note, interestingly enough, Bahai also teaches that “a world federal system should be established to facilitate collective security”

The Ecumenical World Council of Churches met last month with Vatican representatives to begin studying and researching to establish a “code of conduct” in evangelizing. The Vatican actually invited representatives of the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other religions to help discuss the “do”s and “don’ts” of trying to convert someone to Christianity.

They have one big problem though. Evangelical born-again Christians already have a code of conduct given to them by God Himself...
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”(Mark 16:15).

And what is this gospel? “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4).

And what do we do with this Christ? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). because Jesus Himself said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me”(John 14:6).
Jesus makes it pretty clear that there are no other options.

No "code of conduct" necessary either. We do what God commanded us to do. Tell others the good news that"God so loved the world...

It’s by grace we are saved anyway, not our conduct. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Death Penalty for Repeat Child Rapists

This week Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed into law a measure that allows the death penalty for child molesters convicted twice for rape, sodomy or “lewd molestation” involving children under the age of 14. The governor of South Carolina likewise signed a similar law this week, but the age is lowered to under 11.
The president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers spoke out against the law saying that Supreme Court decisions have made it clear that the death penalty is reserved only for someone who has taken another life. Barbara Bergman was quoted as saying, "I'm not saying that raping a child is not a horrible crime, but no one has died,"
I have a couple of issues with Ms. Bergman’s comment.. One, some things are worse than death. Studies show that most children who have been raped, sodomized or otherwise sexually molested incur permanent damage psychologically, emotionally, and even sexually, so they basically become a victim for the rest of their lives. Two, Ms. Bergman criticizes the death penalty in such instances, saying that it should be reserved for someone who has taken another life, and yet evidently had no qualms about being part of the Defense Team that helped Terry Nichols, of the Oklahoma City bombing that killed over 150 people, to avoid the death penalty - even though he is a mass murderer!
My state of Louisiana has a similar law, but it’s rarely used. I know of a man here in my town who has been in and out of prison for the past twenty years for child molestation and rape convictions – he serves time, gets out, commits the crime again, goes back in. This is a waste of taxpayers money. He should have been executed years ago. Some would argue that this wouldn’t deter criminals like this. The system isn’t working the way it is set up right now! And if the guy here in my town had been put to death years ago, there would be several little girls who would never have had to suffer being one of his victims. If we don't do something about this growing epidemic, we may end up like the Netherlands.

A World Without Christians

Our country continues to move toward a more secular society. God is being removed from the public arena. Not the vague generic entity called “God”, but the Christian God. -the God of Moses, the God of the Bible, Jesus Christ the Redeemer of all mankind.
The ACLU types and the “Separation of Church and State” advocates probably tremble with glee at the thought of eradicating all mention of the Bible and Christianity. But what about others who have bought into the “politically correct” idea of a Christian-less society? Have they really thought this through?
To get an inkling of what this world would be without Christians one must look not only at history, but at parts of the world today where Christianity is nonexistent, illegal or at the very least, persecuted.
I see a world ruled by vicious self-centered dictators. Genocide is frequent. Racism is rampant. The weak are trodden upon and killed. There is sexual anarchy. Women are looked upon as property and less than human, with no rights or privileges other than what they are able to beg for from the men that rule over them. Children are used for slave labor and prostitution. Freedom is one of those words that you’ve heard about, but don’t remember much about. There are frequent riots and mob rule. It is a world of literal survival of the fittest and every man for himself.
Is that really the world anyone wants to live in?
Western civilization, its government and laws, was founded on the Bible. It is Christianity that has given us the sanctity of life and freedom, of marriage, and of childhood.
As a side note, there are those that would cry, “What about the Crusades, or the war between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland", or some other event that epitomized everything that the Bible and Christianity supposedly stand against? To which I reply, religion does not equal Christianity. Unfortunately, there are thousands or even hundreds of thousands who profess to be Christians, who go to church once or twice a week, pray, and try to live moral lives, and they consider themselves to be Christians. They speak “Christianese”, but they’re trying to earn their way to heaven.
That’s the difference. The Bible is very clear that we can’t and won’t earn our way to heaven. That was paid for by someone else on a cross on Calvary. And yet in spite of that fact, the world wants to rid itself of His presence. How sad. “…even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

The Federal Marriage Amendment - It will be back

The Marriage Amendment will be back.
Despite what opponents have said, this is not and can not be a states’ issue because homosexual and judicial activists are going to continue to challenge state marriage amendments.
Today while the Senate killed the Federal Marriage Amendment vote, voters in Alabama passed a state constitutional amendment by 81% of the vote. Alabama already had a law prohibiting same-sex marriage, but because of what other states have been doing in granting civil unions or domestic partnerships, they took a preventative measure by passing the amendment now. This makes a total of 20 states that have passed some sort of marriage protection act. Other states are set to vote on amendments later this year. However, state amendments are always vulnerable in federal court as in Nebraska, where its marriage amendment was challenged in federal court in 2005 and ultimately stuck down. Homosexual activists will continue to challenge states passing such amendments, and with the judicial tyranny present in our courts today, you can expect to see other states’ amendments overturned as well. This fight will not end until either we get a Federal Constitutional Amendment to protect marriage, or until the 1% of the population gets their way and has same-sex marriage recognized in all 50 states. And since this issue averages around 70% voter approval in the states that have voted, Congress had better wake up. Mary Landrieu chose to ignore 78% of the voters of my state and vote the Federal Amendment down. Not only will I be voting against Mary next election – I will be actively campaigning against her if anybody even remotely qualified runs against her. I challenge others in my state to do the same.

A Weapon of Mass Destruction - The Tongue

WEAPON of MASS DESTRUCTION

We Christians are quick to point out the sin of others. Especially when that sin threatens our family, our friends, and our way of life. And we should stand up for our faith and fight against corruption, perversion, and lifestyles and issues that threaten the very heart of this nation. In these things, I am very vocal and exercise my right to speak out to try to persuade change.
Having said that, I take a step back and examine not what I say, but how I say it. You see, the Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, our speech, our words, and how destructive they can be when misused. The tongue is capable of doing irreparable damage to individuals and even groups of people when used virulently and viciously. Verbal abuse of children is just as damaging (and in some cases, even more damaging long-term) than physical abuse. The tongue can break up marriages, alienate friends, destroy hope, stir anger, crush fragile egos, incite violence, and worst of all, ruin a Christian witness.
Case in point: Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas. This is the guy who calls himself a man of God, but goes to funerals of homosexuals and holds up signs that say “God hates fags”. A quick visit to his website reveals:
1. His Gospel is a false gospel of hate and hyper Calvinism
2. The love of God is absent from his “preaching”
3. He’s no more Baptist than Saddam Hussein.
Does God hate sin? Yes. Is homosexuality an abomination in God’s eyes? Yes. But God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and loves the world (John 3:16) and everyone it in. [Yes, even Fred Phelps] And God will save whosoever comes to Him in repentance (Acts 3:19), because He’s the savior of all mankind. (I Timothy 4:10)
So with their tongues, the Fred Phelpses of the world give Christianity a bad name…and the truth if it were known is probably that Fred Phelps is not even saved himself – because he’s put his faith in his “election” instead of Jesus Christ and because he hates (1 John 4:20 ). And because of vicious hateful words, many lost individuals will assume Fred Phelps is a Christian and reject Christ before ever finding out the truth of God’s love.
We Christians need to continue to speak out and fight for this nation’s soul, but we need to take heed to the words of James 1:26: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”

Scripture References:

Acts 10:34:” Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
I Timothy 4:10 “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”
1 John 4:20: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

Why We Must Have a Marriage Amendment

Do we need a Constitutional Amendment that defines marriage as being only between one man and one woman? Arguments against it include mainly 3 or 4 points.
1.Interference in federalism. It is argued that Federal and State laws already make court-ordered nationwide same-sex marriage unlikely (key word)for the “foreseeable future.” A Constitutional amendment would be intruding on the founding fathers’ commitment to federalism in an area traditionally reserved for state regulation – family law.
2.An amendment would override states’ rights to decide this issue
3.Opponents will prevail without an amendment
4.We shouldn’t tamper with the Constitution.

These arguments are weak in the face of Judicial Activism. I don’t have to convince anyone that our courts have become more and more activist in recent years. Regardless of states rights, an activist Supreme Court will most certainly rule that if marriage is legal in one state, it should be honored in all 50 states. It’s only a matter of time before some homosexual “couple” (and I use that term loosely) will get “married” in Massachusetts and then move to another state that has voted in a State Marriage amendment and sue for recognition of their union.
As far as “tampering” with the Constitution, our Founding Fathers could never have imagined this even being an issue – as one of the first acts of Congress was to fund the printing and sending of Bibles out with missionaries to the Native Indian population.
If you are a Christian, and you’ve not already contacted your representative, then shame on you. Get off your apathy and make your voice known. American is fast approaching the point of no return.

Personal Observation - Focusing on Self

Ever have one of those days when things just don’t “feel right”? You can’t quite put your finger on it, but everything that happens is just a little off-center, slightly different than what you expected, or a total surprise that catches you off guard. You feel disconnected. Almost as though you are standing to the side as a bystander, watching yourself and your day go by. At the end of the day, you feel like something was missing. But again, you can’t quite decide what that “something” was.

Today was one of those days for me. Exhaustion almost kept me from going to the worship service this morning. Thought my heart might stop from fatigue…but of course it didn’t. As always, the sermon was just what I needed, and I learned practical ways to apply God’s Word into my life and be more successful in what I do. I slept a short 1 ½ hours this afternoon after lunch and woke up even more fatigued than when I lay down. The service tonite was even better and more powerful than this morning’s. One of our youth sang a song tonite that asked, Who is your Jesus? Is He the Jesus of the Bible, or is He someone you’ve made up to fit your own idea of Who He should be? Would you recognize Him if you saw Him on the street? Or would you cross the street to avoid Him? Would He like your church? Jesus spent His time with the downtrodden, the sinners, the poor, and those that the Pharisees looked down on. Do you picture Jesus as a brown or blonde-haired, blue-eyed man smiling down on you from the cross? The Jesus of the Bible was beaten beyond human recognition and His blood spilled for you. It wasn’t a pretty picture. And He did it all for you. And for me.

I think I know now why I didn’t “feel right” today. I spent the day looking for something for me, when what I should have done was look for something for me to do for someone else. So I wasted my day by focusing on me.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" II Corinthians 3:5

Christianity Continues to be Under Attack

Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries has been booted out of an Iowa correctional facility and ordered to repay the state $1.5 million for showing favoritism towards prisoners participating in the program. The Prison Fellowship website's mission statement says:

Our goal is for prisoners to become born again and grow as fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ. We work directly with prison chaplains ... We recruit and train volunteers that lead regular Bible Studies, Seminars and Special Events. Volunteers are formed into Ministry Delivery Teams that work closely with the chaplain and local churches to help the prisoner move through a continuum of discipleship that begins on the inside and continues to a successful transition back into society as a faithful servant of Christ.

WE JUST CAN'T HAVE ANY OF THAT GOING ON, CAN WE????

Meanwhile, this week in Texas,your and my tax dollars paid for Secret Service agents to confiscate....ready for this... Gospel tracts! Yes, these brave men were able to seize some 8000 plus gospel tracts from Ray Comfort's The Great News Network. Seems some moron tried to deposit a $1,000,000 bill gospel tract into her account and this started an investigation into this alleged "counterfeit operation". I've been using this type of tract for years. On the front, it looks similar to real money, but on the back is a presentation of the Gospel. There's no such thing as a million-dollar bill, so what law has been broken?

And in Alabama, a church is being threatened for Biblically disciplining two of its members. Seems both members were in leadership positions in the church and started co-habitating without benefit of Holy Matrimony. The Bible clearly states that churches are to administer discipline to its members, with the ultimate goal of reconciling them back into the fellowship. Members know that up front when they join. Besides that, these two should be less worried about church discipline and more concerned about receiving chastisement from above!

Because of the ever-increasing attack upon Christians and their rights, I pray that we'll see an increase in the number of young people who decide to go into Law. Institutions like the Christian Law Association, the Liberty Counsel , the American Center for Law and Justice and others may very well be the only way for us to fight back - in the courtroom. My hat's off to those of you (Angela) who have decided to go that route and make a difference for our faith!

Catering to Less Than 1% of Population (The real statistics on homosexuality)

Hollywood and the media in general have managed to convince the majority of people in this country that homosexuality is widespread, and with that idea, it seems to become more “normal” since there are supposedly so many engaged in that lifestyle.
It’s not as easy as you’d think, but if one does one's research and really looks – keeping in mind the sources for one's information – one will discover that the “1 in 10” claim just isn’t substantiated. That claim is the result of the Kinsey report of 1948 and has been the mantra of the homosexual community for decades. However, the Kinsey report has since lost all credibility due to the flawed data collection methods utilized in the study.
Since 1980, in multiple studies, more reliable data has been collected and compiled, and these numbers indicate that practicing homosexuals make up approximately 1- 1.5 percent of males and .5 to .75 percent of females. These figures are based on the number of adults who report having had same-gender sex within the last year. For adults reporting having had same-gender sex during their lifetime, the figures are around 4-5 percent and the percentage of adults who admit to strong reoccurring same-gender attraction, the figure stands at about 4 percent.
The 2000 Census showed us this:
The total population of the US was 285,230,516
The total number of households was 106,741,426
The total number of unmarried same-sex households was 601,209
The total number of same-sex male households was 304,148
The total number of same-sex female households was 297,061
The total number of people in unmarried same-sex relationships was 1,202,418. This figure equals only .42% of the population, or less than one half of one percent.
The conclusion is that the more reliable studies indicate a very small percentage of the population actually claiming to be homosexual.
So why do corporations continue to be bullied by the militant pro-homosexual groups? Why do politicians cower? Why do we as individuals continue to be intimidated into silence? We Christians especially, are weak.
I shudder to think about the world my grandchildren will have to live in. I don’t have answers to my own questions because I can't speak for anyone but myself. I don't however, intend to be intimidated into keeping quiet about the truth.